series

Add or Chop?

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

What to do if your manuscript word count is too low:

  1. Consider making it book one in a series.
  2. Publish it as a novella.
  3. Reread your manuscript. Are there places you can add a scene? A chapter? 
  4. Could you write a prologue? An Epilogue?

What to do if your manuscript word count is too high:

  1. Reread your manuscript. Look for ways to use more concise vocabulary in order to say what you intend, but with less words.
  2. Eliminate repetition. Especially in cases where you are revealing your character’s inner thoughts.
  3. Split your book in two, making the second half another book in your “new” series.
  4. Remove some of your content (especially in non-fiction or self-help books) and use the “extra” content in a blog, short story, etc.
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Bundle Up!

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

 

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Readers love a good series. They like your characters and want to read more. 

So, you decide to write a series of books with those same characters, setting, and so on.

Amazon says it is smart business to bundle your series because it creates “multiple entry points through which readers can discover your books.” In fact, there are many readers that look, specifically, for a series to read.

So, let’s continue our series for Indie Book Promotions by learning how to link our Kindle Book Series on Amazon:

  1. Create a name for your series. Each book must have exactly the same series name.
  2. On your KDP Bookshelf, edit each book description to link them. After you Login, click the ellipsis button next to the Promote and Advertise button by the title of the first book in your series.
  3. Select edit eBook details and look for SERIES.
  4. Add the series name in the first box, and its number (1,2,3,etc.) in the second box.
  5. Scroll down and click on Save and Continue. Click Publish Your Kindle e-Book.
  6. On the next page, use the same directions for your second book.

Now, the final step: notify Amazon that you have made a series.

Click Help at the top right of the screen. Then, press CONTACT US. Select Product Page. Click on Kindle Series Bundles.

Fill out the contact form, including each book’s ASIN and series name. Then, SEND MESSAGE.

If you write a new book and wish to add it to the series later, use the same form again.

Things to Note:

  1. Your books will still be listed separately on Amazon, too, so the reader can elect to order a single book or or scroll down and order the entire bundle.
  2. HOWEVER, you can’t discount your bundle. So, let’s say you have three, five-dollar books in your bundle. The bundle will cost $15.00 The reader doesn’t save money.
  3. You cannot write a specific description for your series. The description will be the description of the first book in the series. 
  4. Your bundle will only be available on amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.de, and amazon.co.jp.
  5. Above all, remember bundling is only for the Kindle. Not for paperback.

Hopefully, some of these will change, soon!!!

 

Mile Posts Along the Way

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

 

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Even the best books can seem unending unless they are broken up somehow so that there are little mile posts along the way…

We have talked before about separating our stories into chapters of varying lengths, with 20 pages being about average. Giving them titles is not necessary, but if done cleverly, they can add an element of interest.

We’ve reviewed Prologues (pre-stories telling about past events that are necessarily revealed in order to understand the present book); Epilogues (more rarely used than Prologues) that add something to the story or are used to segue into the next book in a series.

Let’s touch on the question of dividing a story into “PARTS.” 

In my reading, I have found that these designations can be used to divide radically different sections of a book and/or sudden changes in time, place, or narrators. For instance, The Early Years, Middle Years, Later Years; London, New York, The Bahamas; Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter; and so on. 

If you are writing an extremely long story, you may want to consider dividing your book into parts. You may also consider shortening it by making it a book in a series.

I got my idea for the Simon Says series from readers who wanted more about their favorite characters. So, each of the main characters is the focus of a book and each book is named after a children’s game: Simon Says (the original book) is the story of Marcus; Truth or Dare is actually Simon’s story; Tug of War has Ed as its main character; and Cat’s Cradle will be Mary’s (sometime in 2021).

If you are aware of other ways to divide stories, please share!

When Is The End Not Really “The End”?

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

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I just finished writing the last chapter of book three in my Simon Says series.  In my mind, I write the words “THE END” just like authors used to do (on paper) decades ago.

But when is “THE END” of a book not really “THE END”?

The way I view it, if your book is part of a series, then only the last book in that series can claim that declaration.

So, how should each book within the series “end”?

The end should be satisfying and feel like a conclusion, but then I suggest using the Epilogue to give hints of what is to come in the next book in the series.

The reader should be enticed to keep reading, but they should also feel confident that if they don’t, the current book has concluded in the best way possible.

I use the Prologue to introduce Book One and its Epilogue to segue into the second book and so on through out the entire series. 

When the last book is written, its Epilogue may have a little more of a finish than the others, but personally, I like leave the door slightly ajar, so that if I want to pick up the story again and write another book in the future, I can do so.

Stand-Alones, Series, or Both?

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

8271351214_7c6f31f870I know of a guy who wrote a Letter to the Editor. His writing was so good that he was offered a position with the newspaper writing his own column.

He started out writing a letter and found himself doing something much more than what he originally intended.

I relate to that guy. 

I started out to write “stand-alone” books.

However, readers liked my characters. They wanted to read more. I was soon hoodwinked into writing a second book—and now a third.

I’m not complaining, though. I’m glad people want to read more about Marcus, Simon, and the others.

An author has choices when writing a series. 

First choice: build successive books on the previous ones and simply continue the story. In this case, the reader would need to read from Book 1 through the entire series for the progressive story to be understandable.

Second choice: continue with the original characters in Book 1, but be careful to use epilogues and/or prologues—and effective beginning chapters—to make sure important information from previous book(s) is passed along throughout the series. Essentially, books like these can be read as stand-alones.    

Each book can be devoted to a different character, keeping them in the same setting (Ex. On the farm).

Or, each book in the series can focus on the same main character, but in different settings. (Think Gulliver’s Travels).

Or, change the characters, but keep the ongoing theme. (Stories about near-death experiences or angel sightings…)

The possibilities are probably endless. You just have to find that common thread and begin to weave it throughout your series.

In the series I am writing, currently, each book is based on a childhood game, thus the titles Simon Says, Truth or Dare, Tug of War, and so on.

The commonality isn’t just found in the games, but—more importantly—in  the way they make their life choices, the result of those choices, and how each one affects their future.

Surveys tell us that readers latch onto a series or a particular author and will follow them until they become tired or disappointed.

So, writing a series can be an effective way for an author to gain a following—and keep them following—if you give each book your very best effort.

Then—and only then—will they keep coming back for more.

The Boxed Set

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

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Many readers like to read books in a series.

But what if you haven’t written a series?

What if, like myself, you have written standalones?

A great strategy I will be using in the next year, is the creation of a boxed set of three of my books. Runaways, The Choice, and Simon Says will be packaged as a “set” and given special pricing.

Ideally, sets should have something in common, such as: written in the same genre, taking place in a similar location or time period, and so on.

My three books all have the same basic theme: forgiveness, so they will be advertised as such.

Just another strategy to keep those books flying off the shelves.

Leave Them Wanting More

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

 

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People often find it hard to pick a book to read. If they have already read and enjoyed one book in a series, they are often likely to purchase the second. This is especially true if they like the characters and enjoy the writing style of the author.

Authors who write a successful first novel with promises to continue their characters, already have a readership that will come back for more. In fact, if they keep their writing fresh, they are likely to come back again and again.

Publishers love books that promise a sequel. If a book sells well, then it follows to reason that the sequel is going to sell just as well.

So what makes a successful series? 

Characters. One—preferably more—that the reader can root for.

Study the successful ones, such as Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Long of the Rings, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and see how they do it.

I have enjoyed  A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket—smart and humorous—as well as a number of Amish books in series by Beverly Lewis.

Go to the bookstore and find the section where you want your book to be some day. Research a popular series and ask yourself what makes them good. Then develop your own character you know readers will want to follow.

While you’re writing the first book for your series, keep in mind things you want to save for your second book, and so on.

So, what are the key elements in writing a series that will keep readers interested in reading book after book?

 *Believable, engaging characters.

*A fascinating world or universe. 

*Great writing!

*A plot that has definite direction…not just stretching the story out so you can get another book published.

Reward your audience for sticking with you by giving them new and fresh content—not just more of the same.

And, at the end of the book, or movie, the consumer should feel satisfied and, as my grandfather used to say,

left wanting even more.

The End?

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

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I remember going to my first movie with my Uncle Bill—and crying when it was over.

There was no escaping it because “THE END” was written in huge letters on the screen.

The world is full of more sophisticated movie-goers nowadays. No longer are those words written in books or on the silver screen.

So, how does one know the story is over? When the screen goes dark? When there are no more pages to turn?

Well, readers and movie-goers aren’t the only ones that have gotten more sophisticated over the years. Writers have, too.

First of all, we now understand that the ending is a crucial part of the story. It makes that all-important final impression on the consumer.

It provides an emotional sense of closure.

It can:

~provide a summary.

~wrap things up.

~bring the reader full circle.

It should:

~be satisfying.

There is nothing worse, in my estimation, than spending several days reading a book or several hours watching a movie only to end up dissatisfied with the ending.

Who wants to pay good money for a theatre ticket or paperback and walk away feeling gypped, cheated, underestimated, or devalued?

So does that mean that the guy should always get the girl…the fortune hunter must always hit oil…the prodigal should always return?

Yes…and…no.

Given the circumstances of the story, it should end in such a way that we see growth in the main character and it makes sense that it ends the way it does.

For instance, he may not find the pot of gold, but he learns that money doesn’t buy happiness and is content with what he has.

He might not get the girl, but finds someone that is better for him in the long run.

Do we need to see that he settles down in Oklahoma, has a half- dozen kids, and retires to play pickleball the rest of his days???  No. In fact, please don’t nail down every detail. Respect the intelligence of your reader by letting them make some conclusions for themselves.

So, this discussion brings us to question whether this really has to be THE END at all…

Perhaps this is just BOOK ONE in a series.

Maybe this movie will supply enough interesting material for a sequel.

Let’s explore the possibilities…NEXT WEEK.